This issue brief identifies the financing gaps and policy barriers that prevent affordable housing preservation in Colorado and outlines specific recommendations for new capital tools, streamlined processes, and funding mechanisms needed to acquire and maintain long-term affordability in existing rental properties.

This issue brief explains the importance of affordable housing, documenting the scale of loss across the state, the benefits of preservation compared to new construction, and the systemic barriers that currently prevent preservation efforts from meeting community needs.

Archway Communities is a Colorado-based nonprofit that has provided affordable housing and resident services for over 50 years. Recognizing the critical importance of preserving the affordability of units serving low-income seniors in a high-demand area, Archway moved quickly to renovate Downing Square.

East Colfax Community Collective (EC3) is a grassroots organization working to stabilize rents and prevent displacement in Denver’s East Colfax neighborhood—a historically diverse community facing rapid change. In September 2024, EC3 purchased 1371 Xenia, which is home to some of the neighborhood’s most vulnerable residents. Immediately after closing, EC3 and a resident-led stewardship committee identified urgent repair priorities.

The Home Trust of Ouray County learned about a unique preservation opportunity. The Ouray Sixplex, one of the few remaining unrestricted affordable rental properties in Ouray, offered rents far below market rate. HTOC quickly mobilized to preserve these permanently affordable homes.

Parkview Village West, located in Arvada’s South-Central neighborhood, has one- and two- bedroom apartments for residents with incomes at 40-60% AMI. Foothills approached Rocky Mountain Communities (RMC) in 2021 to explore the acquisition of Parkview Village West.